Marines Fly In To Liberia

Americans Are Rescued

WASHINGTON — A reinforced company of 225 U.S. Marines flew into Liberia on Sunday to evacuate Americans and foreign dependents, after a rebel leader threatened to start taking foreign prisoners.

State Department officials said 74 people, almost all of them U.S. Embassy officials and their dependents, were flown to a Marine vessel off the coast of Liberia.

But more than 300 Americans remain in Liberia, including some U.S. citizens who may be unable to reach the evacuation point at the U.S. Embassy compound in Monrovia because of the fighting in the capital, State Department officials said.

In recent weeks, Americans and other foreign nationals were under threat not only because of the fighting between government forces and rebels, but also due to clashes involving rival rebel factions.

Relief workers, missionaries and diplomats say at least 3,000 mostly unarmed civilians have been killed and many more wounded since rebels began the war to oust the government of President Samuel K. Doe last December.

The government and rebel leaders have predicted many more are sure to die as fighting intensifies in the capital.

The military operation appears to have been spurred by a threat from a rebel leader in Monrovia, Prince Johnson, to start arresting Americans and other foreigners to force foreign intervention.

Johnson, whose troops have occupied much of the city, including the diplomatic enclave at Mamba Point where the U.S. Embassy is situated, told reporters Saturday his roundup would begin on Monday, focusing first on American, British, Lebanese and Indian civilians.

He insisted, however, that they would not be harmed.

Although there appears to be no enthusiasum from Western governments to be drawn into Liberia's war, there are moves under way among a number of West African nations to intervene.

The latest developments are expected to be discussed Monday in Gambia, where leaders of the Economic Community of West African states called an emergency meeting to discuss a plan to send an intervention force to Liberia and to rescue foreign nationals and try to establish a cease-fire.

In Lagos, Nigeria, Reuters reported that government officials said Nigeria was mobilizing a joint army, naval and airborne force with three other countries to secure a cease-fire. The force could move soon after receiving the backing of the Economic Community meeting.

President Bush ordered the evacuation after a meeting on Saturday at Camp David with Defense Secretary Dick Cheney and Gen. Colin L. Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The White House notified Congress of the action at 4 a.m. and announced it several hours laters, saying that a reinforced rifle company of 225 Marines moved by helicopter from their ships off of the coast of Liberia to the American Embassy compound.

The company is to join the Marine Guard at the embassy and a total of 237 Marines are to remain indefinitely to guard the embassy and remaining staff, including Ambassador Peter de Vos. The United States plans to maintain a staff of 41 officials at the embassy.

"The Marines will remain in Liberia as long as necessary to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens in that country," White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said.

The Marines at the embassy are a small part of the 2,100 Marine Amphibious Ready Group deployed off the coast of Liberia on four ships, including the USS Saipan, an amphibious landing ship and a destroyer.

Fitzwater said the United States had no intention of intervening militarily in the conflict.

The 74 people airlifted from Liberia to the Saipan are almost all American Embassy employees and their dependents, which included four Liberians. The group, which also included a French citizen, will be transported to Sierra Leone.

The Marines also evacuated two Americans from two American communications sites in Liberia that handle diplomatic and intelligence messages in sub-Saharan Africa. The sites were shut down.

A State Department official said the Marines would remain on hand to continue the evacuation of remaining Americans, dependents and foreign diplomats and their dependents.

There is no telephone communication in Monrovia and as a result, officials said, the United States does not know how many additional Americans may want to leave.

Those who want to be evacuated must reach the American Embassy compound. American officials said there was sporadic shooting on Saturday in the surrounding Mamba Point area.

"We cannot set down helicopter in people's back yards where we have people shooting weapons," a State Department official said.

The United States has previously offered to evacuate Doe, who seized power in a bloody coup in 1980, hoping such a move would lead to an end to the fighting.

A State Department official said, however, that a request now from Doe for his evacuation would have to be re-evaluated in terms of the risk to American forces.